Menon meets U.S. counterpart to discuss 'common challenges'

Issues like regional stability and Iran figured in talks National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon had with his U.S. counterpart James Jones on the margins of a security meet in Munich, with the two sides pledging to work together to advance the strategic ties and tackle common challenges.

Their meeting yesterday was the first between them after Menon, former foreign secretary, was appointed as National Security Adviser by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last month.

Gen (Retd) Jones also met Menon’s predecessor and now the West Bengal Governor M. K. Narayanan, who too is attending the Munich Security Conference.

“They reaffirmed the strength of their strategic partnership and reviewed its progress, particularly over the last year,” a senior US administration official said. .

“General Jones and Menon pledged to work cooperatively together, just as Jones had with Menon’s predecessor Narayanan, in order to advance our strategic partnership and tackle together the common challenges we face,” the official said.

The meeting assumes significance in view of the recent development in the region, including the move by India to offer Foreign Secretary-level talks with Pakistan.